Daily Catholic Mass Readings for October 6, 2019
First Reading: Habakkuk 1.2-3; 2.2-4
2And the Lord responded to me and said: Write the vision and explain it on tablets, so that he who reads it may run through it3For as yet the vision is far off, and it will appear in the end, and it will not lie. If it expresses any delay, wait for it. For it is arriving and it will arrive, and it will not be hindered4Behold, he who is unbelieving, his soul will not be right within himself; but he who is just shall live in his faith
Psalm 95
1The Praise of a Canticle, of David himself. Come, let us exult in the Lord. Let us shout joyfully to God, our Savior2Let us anticipate his presence with confession, and let us sing joyfully to him with psalms3For the Lord is a great God and a great King over all gods4For in his hand are all the limits of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are his5For the sea is his, and he made it, and his hands formed the dry land6Come, let us adore and fall prostrate, and let us weep before the Lord who made us7For he is the Lord our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand8If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts9as in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted me; they tested me, though they had seen my works10For forty years, I was offended by that generation, and I said: These have always strayed in heart11And these have not known my ways. So I swore in my wrath: They shall not enter into my rest
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1.6-8, 13-14
6Because of this, I admonish you to revive the grace of God, which is in you by the imposition of my hands7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of virtue, and of love, and of self-restraint8And so, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner. Instead, collaborate with the Gospel in accord with the virtue of God13Hold to the kind of sound words that you have heard from me in the faith and love which is in Christ Jesus14Guard the good entrusted to you through the Holy Spirit, who lives within us
Gospel: Luke 17.5-10
5And the Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith.6But the Lord said: "If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you may say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be transplanted into the sea.’ And it would obey you7But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, would say to him, as he was returning from the field, ‘Come in immediately; sit down to eat,8and would not say to him: ‘Prepare my dinner; gird yourself and minister to me, while I eat and drink; and after these things, you shall eat and drink?9Would he be grateful to that servant, for doing what he commanded him to do10I think not. So too, when you have done all these things that have been taught to you, you should say: ‘We are useless servants. We have done what we should have done.’
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter powerful messages about faith, trust, and humble service. The prophet Habakkuk cries out to God in the midst of suffering and injustice, questioning why God seems slow to act. Yet, God’s response is clear: “Write the vision… and wait for it, for it will surely come.” This reminds us that even in uncertainty, we must trust in God’s timing and plan. In the second reading, St. Paul urges Timothy to embrace his faith without fear, to hold fast to the truth, and to guard the gift of God within him. This is a call to perseverance and courage in living out our faith, even when it is challenging.
The Gospel offers a complementary lesson. The Apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith, and Jesus responds with a parable about a servant who simply does what is expected. He emphasizes that faith, even as small as a mustard seed, is sufficient to accomplish great things. However, true faith is not about seeking recognition or reward but about faithfully fulfilling our duties with humility. Jesus teaches us that we are called to serve without expectation of praise, recognizing that we are merely doing what is required of us as disciples.
These readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with God and our approach to living out our faith. Like Habakkuk, we may face moments of doubt or frustration, but we are called to trust in God’s providence. Like Timothy, we are reminded to stand firm in our faith, even when it is tested. And like the servants in the Gospel, we are called to live out our faith with humility and integrity, recognizing that our ultimate reward comes not from human recognition but from God alone. May we cultivate a faith that is patient, persistent, and rooted in trust, and may we serve others with the same humility and love that Christ has shown us.